julian@uhccux.UUCP (Julian Cowley) (08/28/87)
After receiving the August issue of SVCS Newsletter and finding that
no one on the net had commented on the heated topic of the usage and
misusage of PkArc, the file compression program compatible with SEA's
older ARC 1.00, I felt compelled to pass along bits and pieces of an
interview with Phil Katz (the author of PkArc) contained in the newsletter.
Basically, it seems that the major complaint towards using PkArc is that
the new compression technique known as Squeezing used in PkArc has made
it impossible for some people to unarc files. Here follow some of
the major points rebutted by Katz:
------
PKARC, The REAL story
by Phil Katz
Question: What is this article?
Answer: It's a response from me, Phil Katz, author of PKARC and PKXARC,
in an attempt to answer common questions, misconceptions, and downright
ugly rumors propagated by the misinformed in regards to PKARC and PKXARC.
Q: The specs for Squashing were never released.
A: FALSE! In early January 1987, shortly after PKARC 2.0 with Squashing
was released, the file SQSHINFO.DOC was released detailing the format
of Squashed files. This file can be found on many BBS's across the country.
[ If anyone would care to upload this to the net, it would be much
appreciated. ]
Q: Why wasn't a different extension used for archives with Squashed files?
A: Mainly, because using a different extension would cause many more problems
than it would solve. By the time PKARC 2.0 was developed, there were
many programs with .ARC specific code in them, such as disk catalogers,
directory programs, communications software, BBS software, and others that
treated .ARC files special from ordinary files. The vast majority of
these programs never extracted files, and couldn't care less if files
were "Squashed", "Stomped", or "Mashed". Changing the extension of archives
created by PKARC would mean that all these programs would have to be
kludged for the new extensions.
Earlier versions of PKARC could handle archives with Squashed members
with no problems whatsoever. Earlier versions of PKXARC would simply
skip over any Squashed files, and issue a warning that the file was
compressed in an unknown way. Only SEA's ARC program and Buerg's
programs would bomb out completely on these files.
Since PKARC and PKXARC could read *ALL* archives made by *ANY* archive
program back to SEA's ARC 1.00, keeping the extension of .ARC creates
much less confusion than creating an entirely new extension for everyone
to have to deal with.
.
.
.
Q: When will we see a UNIX version of PKARC and PKXARC?
A: Hopefully rather soon. Since the original MS-DOS versions of PKARC
of PKARC and PKXARC used a significant amount of assembly code, it wasn't
easy to convert these to portable C. Nevertheless, a portable C version of
PKXARC now exists which works under MS-DOS, Amiga, and VAX/VMS. An Amiga
version of PKXARC is slated for release this August. VAX/VMS and Unix
versions of the software are currently under development.
Contact Phil Katz at:
[ Among others... ]
USENET ............. uwvax!uwmcsd1!uwmcs.mlw.wisc.EDU!katz
----- [ end of article ]
I hope this clears up any misconceptions about PKARC that people have
seemed to be having. As for PKARC and PKXARC becoming complete
standards, that will still remain to be seen. For me, however, having
the author back up his own program on the record seems proof to me
that the program will see wider distribution among computer types.
Also, if the material contained within this interview has been discussed
in excrutiating detail in this newsgroup or elsewhere, PLEASE pardon me.
Just consider it a backup for people like me who cannot always spend
the hours scouring the newsgroups for something to read and/or flame.
Aloha....!
--
Julian Cowley, Laboratory for Educational Inquiry
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